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| "I say good man, where the devil is the Olympic Stadium?" |
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I was in London last week on an Olympic pre-trip swing and can safely say London will have a transportation issue come July 2012. But the city seems to have found a solution: a ridiculously expensive cable car!
A wildly expensive £25 million (US$34 million) cable car scheme is set to get planning permission tomorrow, and will be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics. The scheme will be privately funded and Transport for London (TfL) are confident the funds would be found when they vote on the plans. John East, Newham Council's divisional director of planning says: ''All the discussions I have had with Tfl suggest they will be able to secure that private funding, or sponsorship to enable the cable car to happen.' 'Bearing in mind where we are with public finances and the scrutiny that public bodies are under, why would TfL come this far if they weren’t sure?''
Perhaps Tfl could invest the millions of pounds into keeping the tube trains running on time when millions of people test London's creaky transport system to its limits! The cars - a first for a UK city - will cross the Thames connecting the O2 arena and ExCel centre, between the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. The venues will both be used in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The scheme is part of the ongoing regeneration of East London and will be significant for improving connections to the site. TfL believes that construction jobs will be found competitively allowing the scheme to be produced quickly and cheaply.
Taking just five minutes to do the crossing, London Mayor, Boris Johnson told the Daily Mail: ''A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river." He added: "Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time. It would also provide a much needed enhancement of cross river options to the east of the city.”
The cable cars will match the capacity of 50 buses per hour, carrying up to 2,500 passengers in each direction arriving every 30 seconds, says London Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy. Now we need only build the damn thing...after the arena, Olympic park, hotels, roads....tea time!
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.
